Mochinut, which operates and franchises restaurants offering mochi donuts and other fare, is the fastest-growing major restaurant chain in the U.S., in terms of percentage growth in both new units and sales, according to the newly released 2022 Top 500 Chains report from Datassential.
The Los Angeles-based chain, which ended last year with more than 80 locations, saw its unit count increase 156 percent in 2022, while sales grew 243 percent, according to the report.
“It feels like there are a lot of things going for them,” said Huy Do, research and insights manager at Datassential, in a webinar discussing the Top 500 report.
Mochinut’s signature creations, also called “ring donuts,” are a combination of Japanese mochi, made using rice flour, and traditional cake donuts. They consist of eight small balls of dough stuck together in a ring shape and topped with a variety of colorful icings featuring some two dozen on-trend flavors such as churro, ube, yuzu, and matcha.
The chain also offers bubble tea, soft-serve ice cream, and Korean-style, batter-coated hot dogs, each of which is also available in a variety of flavors.
“It’s an awesome concept,” said Jack Li, the founder of Datassential who now lists his title there as “builder.” He cited the ease of ordering, the operational simplicity in terms of labor, and the customer excitement generated by Mochinut’s ever-changing flavor assortment.
Datassential’s Top 500 report, now in its fifth year, covers the 500 largest restaurant chains in the country ranked by the number of units at year-end.
In addition to Mochinut, other fast-growing chains on the list include Salad and Go, a drive-thru salad and wrap chain that also saw its sales and unit count more than double in 2022, Crumbl Cookies, Dave’s Hot Chicken, and HTeaO.
The largest chain in terms of unit count remained Subway, with 22,885 locations, followed by Starbucks, McDonald’s, and Dunkin, while McDonald’s, with $48.67 billion in sales, remained atop the list of restaurants with the highest sales volume, followed by Starbucks, Chick-Fil-A, and Taco Bell.
Overall, inflation was a significant driver of sales growth among the Top 500 chains, the report indicated. While the total number of units among the Top 500 increased 2.1 percent last year, to 235,246 locations, total sales grew 8.9 percent, to $390.16 billion.
The report broke down the Top 500 into 16 different segments based on the type of service (full-service restaurants, or FSR, and limited-service restaurants, or LSR) and by cuisine type. Only one of those segments—FSR midscale, which includes family restaurants such as IHOP and Waffle House—saw its unit count decline in 2022, relative to 2021.
In terms of sales, 10 of the 16 segments recorded double-digit percentage increases in unit growth in 2022, led by LSR salad/healthful chains, which include both salad chains such as Salad and Go as well as fast-growing smoothie chains such as Smoothie King.
The growth of these types of chains reflects consumers’ ongoing demand for more healthful foods, a trend that had been gaining traction since before the pandemic. At the same time, however, consumers are also seeking to reward themselves with small treats such as cookies, ice cream, and donuts.
“Consumers developed a sweet tooth during the pandemic, and this year, it appears that momentum is very much here to stay,” said Do.
LSR chicken chains and LSR sandwich/deli chains were also among the fastest-growing segments last year. Both had sales growth in double digits, at 10.5 percent and 11.6 percent, respectively.
Full-service restaurant chains featuring globally inspired cuisines also fared well in 2022, with FSR regional/ethnic concepts up 13.9 percent in sales and 1.1 percent in unit count.
“Consumers are demanding globally inspired dining experiences,” said Do.
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